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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. lean — thin
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. charge — a price
  9. spell — letters
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. tube — a container
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lean — to bend
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — to shout
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — to sink
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. spell — magic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com